How to Cultivate Desire to Serve the Lord? SB 2.6.21 | Rus-split | 23.10.92 | Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī

Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 2, Chapter 6, Text 21. Śrītvicākrame veshvāṁ, Śrītvicākrame veshvāṁ, śaśānānāśane yubhe, śaśānānāśane yubhe, yāda vidyāca, vidyāca, yāda vidyāca, vidyāca, puruṣaṣtu, puruṣaṣtu, Puruṣṭhas tu bhijāyaśrayaḥ. So Lord Brahmā is continuing to describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And again and again in the Bhāgavatam we see that it is being emphasized how the Lord is the cause of all causes. It is important to be reminded who the Supreme Lord is and how the Lord is the cause of all causes, because in our conditioned stage it is very likely to keep forgetting what should not be forgotten. That is why we see in the Bhagavad-gītā also many important points are repeated again and again from different angles, because Prabhupada explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that repetition is necessary in order to drive the point home. So this is not the first verse of the Bhāgavatam where this message is being communicated. So the Supreme Personality of Godhead by these energies is actually the cause of all causes, and the Lord is all-pervading. So God is all-pervading. Krishna is in a spiritual abode, and at the same time he's all-pervasive. The impersonalists argue that if God is all-pervasive, then how can he have his identity? Hence, they conclude the Lord is impersonal. Prabhupada used to give the example of the sun disk. The sun disk is in one location. Nevertheless, it's all-pervasive through the sun, through the sun rays. In a material situation, If you take a piece of paper and tear the paper into small pieces, the original paper would be lost. But in a spiritual situation, this doesn't happen. So God is all-pervasive, but still he has his original identity. We can see the energies of the Lord at work— the internal energy, external energy, marginal energy. The living entities belong to the marginal energy because they have the choice of either associating with the internal energy or the external energy, the superior energy or the inferior energy. If one is fortunate, intelligent, then he associates with the superior energy of the Lord, or the internal energy. So in the purport, Prabhupada's making many points in support of the translation of the verse. Prabhupada explaining the difference between the living entity and the Supreme Lord, one in quality but considerably different in quantity. Just like a drop of water in a vast ocean, the drop of water may also have the taste of salt, may also have the salty taste, but in quantity there's a big difference between the drop of water and the vast ocean. So both are nitya, the Lord and the living entity, but yet there's a difference that one singular nitya is maintaining all other nityas. Nam, chetana chetana nam, eko bhau nam vidati kama. That is, the living entity is nitya, the Lord is nitya, but that singular entity is maintaining all other entities. So the living entity can never be equal to the Lord. Prabhupada makes this point very clearly in the purport, that the living entity can never be equal to the Lord in terms of knowledge, past, present, and future. When the devotee talks about being one with the Lord, he means being one in the— in spirit with the Lord. But when the impersonalist talk about being one with the Lord, they talk of merging with the Lord. So the living entity, because he's not full of knowledge, the living entity in the material world is subject to four types of mistakes. The Lord can remember everything, but the living entity cannot. In the Bhagavad-gītā, we see that Krishna told Arjuna that that he had imparted this knowledge to the sun god Vivasvan. And Arjuna was surprised when he heard this. So Arjuna asked the Lord, how am I to believe that you imparted this knowledge to the sun god Vivasvan when he is senior to you by birth? To which the Lord replied that many, many times both you and I have appeared, but I can remember all my previous births, but you cannot. So that is the difference. This indicates the difference between the living entity and the Lord. The Lord knows everything about past, present, and future. Whereas we, the living entity, have very limited knowledge just about our own self. The Lord is, is in complete knowledge, and the living entity is limited. So in the material world, the tendency to forget the Lord is very strong. This is known as ekāpadvibhūti. Ekāpadvibhūti, Prabhupāda explains, means forgetting, the forgetfulness of the Lord. And in the spiritual world, you have tripadvibhūti. Tripadvibhūti means the opposite, a situation where you never forget the Lord. So the living entity is in the material world because of having developed the desire to become God's competitor, to enjoy like the Lord. It is explained in the Prima Vivarta: Krishna bāhir mukha hāna bhoga vāñchākare nikātasa māyātare japatya-dhāre. The moment the living entity develops the desire to enjoy like the Lord, he at once has to enter into the material world. And the Caitanya-caritāmṛta confirms Mithyāl-wohl means place where there's nothing but misery. And because of his forgetfulness of the Lord and the teachings of the Lord, the living entity attempts to engage in a variety of material activities searching for happiness. And he attempts to search for happiness and hence engages in a variety of activities, and he just being tossed, just like you have a ball in the ocean, it is being tossed by the waves of the ocean. So the living entity, as long as he keeps forgetting the Lord, Each of us being tossed from one body to another, from one location to another, and we're being tossed to the different species of life. Fortunately, one comes in contact with a devotee of the Lord. Brahmanda brahmeti kono bhagavanujji guru-krsna-krsnapaya-bhakti-lata bhed. Brahmanda, brahmanda means the universes of the Lord. So while traveling through all these different universes, is he the fortunate soul who comes in contact with the devotee of the Lord and receives the seed of devotional service? So material world means Where material situation means we are forgetting the Lord. And avidya, avidya means nonsense. It is being explained in this verse that the Lord is the source of both avidya and vidya. He's the source of knowledge and forgetfulness. In the Bhagavad-gītā, in this connection, Kṛṣṇa says, sarvasya caḥam hṛdhi sāni viṣṭho mataḥ smṛtir gyanam apohanaṁ ca. I am the source of forgetfulness and remembrance. Forgetfulness, remembrance both come from the Lord. It is being explained in this verse by Lord Brahmā that the Lord is the ultimate master of both nescience and factual knowledge. So the forgetfulness of the living entity is also coming from God, and when he remembers the Lord, that is also coming from the Lord. Very interesting, isn't it? The power of the atheist is also coming from God. The atheist says there is no God. That is also coming from God. And the devotees who glorify God is also coming from God. So many times people present this question: why is God giving one the ability to become an atheist? Why doesn't God force everyone to become a devotee? That would be so much easier. But there's a reason. The law does not interfere with the freedom of the living entity. The living entity has the free choice to either reject God or to accept God. Those who are— if you want to forget the Lord, that facility is also given. Just like in a free society, the government has given freedom to the citizens. Either they can be law-abiding or they can become criminals. Those who are abiding by the law, they're never bothered by the militia. But those who are not abiding by the law, they are bothered by the militia. So those who are living by the laws of the Lord, they are happily engaged in devotional service. Now, how does Krishna decide whether you should be put in avidya or vidya? That Krishna is able to decide because he knows the nature of your desires. And how does he know the nature of your desires? Because Krishna has expanded himself as the Paramatma in everyone's heart. Krishna is in a spiritual abode, Vaikunthaloka. Krishna is all-pervasive through his energies. The sun and the moon are the two eyes of God. The air is blowing, that is one of the energies of the Lord. The stars are shining, it's one of the— it's also due to the Lord's energy. So everything is moving because of the arrangement, expert arrangement made by Krishna. Therefore Krishna says, Maya dakṣinapracati suyete sa chara-caran. This material energy is working in my direction. Therefore Krishna also says, aham sarvasya prabhavo mataḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. I am the source of everything material and spiritual. Now Krishna is able to recognize all the desires because he's present in the heart as Paramātmā. And as Paramātmā, he's able to smell our desires. As Paramātmā, the Lord is fulfilling many functions. One is the witnessing function, and then is reciprocation based on your desires. So those who want to forget the Lord, Krishna entangles them in so many material activities that they never have time to remember the Lord. Therefore, the materialist is so involved in activity that he has no time to remember the Lord. But those who have the desire to serve the Lord, those who have served in devotional practice in previous lives, they are given by the Lord the opportunity to continue the process of service. Krishna also says in the Bhagavad Gita, those who worship me with devotion, I preserve what they have and I make up what they lack. So this is important to understand for every devotee. That is, even if you have no qualification but you want to serve the Lord, then Krishna who's in the heart will make you qualified. So you do not have to worry whether you have the qualification or not. In a material situation, you cannot work as an engineer unless you have an engineering degree. You can't practice as a doctor unless you have a medical degree. But in a spiritual situation All you need is the desire, and once you have the desire, then you can serve the Lord. Now you may have the desire, but you don't have the ability. Just like you want to desire to do book distribution, but you may say, oh, I have no experience, I've never gone out on the street and talked to anyone, I'm a very shy person, I feel embarrassed in opening my mouth in front of the people. But your desire is there. So once Krishna says you have the desire, then he who is dwelling in your heart will destroy your weakness and give you the confidence to do the job. And then Krishna will empower you how to speak, how to talk, how to preach. So it is the desire, the desire to become Krishna conscious, the desire to serve this Lord that is most important. If that desire is there, then the abilities will follow. And how do you cultivate that desire? That desire is cultivated in the association of devotees. That desire is cultivated by cultivating spiritual knowledge. That desire is cultivated by the practice of regulative principles. And by combination of these three— regulative principles, cultivating spiritual knowledge through the scriptures, and devotee association— one learns to discriminate between what is right and what is wrong. And with that discrimination, then you can reject what is unfavorable and accept what is favorable. So the ability to remember the Lord, the ability to serve the Lord, comes from the Lord also. Therefore, we must decide. Y as Krishna says, all of them, as they surrender unto me, I reward them accordingly. Bible also says As you sow, you shall reap. So we must cultivate the desire, I must become Krishna conscious. I must become Krishna conscious and I must make others Krishna conscious. Devotees are not interested in dharma, artha, kama, moksha. This— these are different layers of avidya. Prabhupada explains this in the purport. These are different stages of ignorance because Dharma should be utilized for cultivating pure love of God, but not just the desire to develop, to obtain money. In the absence of pure knowledge, people cultivate to relig— cultivate a religious process just to have artha, economic prosperity. And why do they want this economic prosperity? Because that is the medium to karma, sense enjoyment. You can't have anything for free now. Even if you want to breathe fresh air, you have to go to the hill station, not in Moscow. And to go to the hill station, you need dengue, you need money. Even if you want pure water, you can't get it from the tap anymore. You have to get mineral water, and God alone knows how pure that water is. And that also costs money. I saw in America, Canada, this time everybody is now drinking mineral water. Nobody drinks tap water. They don't trust tap water. They say it is not very pure. So they need money to have every type of comfort. Let me go to the church or the temple and beg for money. I'll ask God to give me money. So it's better than not believing in God. Then when they get money, what do you want to do with money? Try and enjoy life. You want to eat in the biggest hotels, you want to fly all over the world, have big house, women, big, big parties, drink. Buy nice clothes so everybody thinks you're rich man. But even after doing all these things, still there is nothing but frustration. They say, the man, rich man says, I have money, I have position, I have power, I have all this, still I'm not happy. Why? What do I need next? Then he says, yes, there's one thing I don't have. I'm not God. I must become God. So now I'll try and become God. So this is known as dharma, artha, kama, moksha. Really, I, I want to take the religion to get wealth. With wealth, I'll do sense enjoyment, and after sense enjoyment, I'll become God. But devotee is not interested in that. Devotee is interested in serving the Lord today and tomorrow. Devotee doesn't think, I'll serve the Lord today, but tomorrow I'll become God, because in serving the Lord The devotee is deriving unlimited pleasure. In the material world, nobody likes to serve anyone. In communism, people don't like to work, and in capitalism also they don't like to work. That is why people work 5 days a week, then they want Saturday, Sunday. Students go to school for a few months, then they want vacation for a few months. Nobody likes to do the activity every day of the week. Why is that? Because they don't enjoy that service. When you enjoy something, you want it all the time. Kṛṣṇa You enjoy eating food, so you want food every day. Of course devotees enjoy prasad, but work you people don't enjoy. Therefore they have dachas, therefore they have weekends, therefore they have vacations. But when you serve the Lord, there is immediate reciprocation. It's not like you go to an engineering college and after 5 years you'll get a degree. It's like when you put your food in the stomach, you get immediate satisfaction. So When you begin to serve the Lord, you begin to feel a high— you begin to experience a higher taste because you have begun to associate with the superior energy of the Lord. When you are operating in avidya, you are under the influence of the inferior energy of the Lord. So marginal— marginal means you can go left or right, up or down. So when you— as long as you associate with the inferior energy of the Lord, there is no happiness. But when you associate with the spiritual energy of the Lord, there is total satisfaction. And the nature of that satisfaction is there is no end to it. It is unending. Even if you become a millionaire, there is one day when you are going to die. Even if you are very healthy, one day death will take that good health away. But spiritual happiness never ends. Some of you may say, "Oh, but the devotee also has to die, also has to get old, diseased." Yes, but even after death, he continues with his devotional service. Devotional service never ends. You just continue at the point that you have stopped. If you stop at 10% this life, next life you start at 11%. So you just— whatever you've done stays in your bank account. So by service you get this higher taste, and those who have experienced the higher taste, then they lose taste for inferior activities. Just like if you get used to living in a big apartment, then you don't want to live in a one-room apartment. So once you experience this higher taste then inferior taste appears insignificant. So those who are experiencing the higher taste, they're not selfish. They want to give the formula of success to everyone. In material situation, when you have a success formula, you want to hide it from everyone. Therefore, all these business companies, they hide their technology. But a devotee doesn't hide his technology. He's anxious to share it with everyone because he wants everyone to be happy. He wants everyone to be fortunate. Therefore, he engages in preaching activity. So preaching activities are activities by which we can make everyone happy. And one who's convinced about the goal of life, he must work to also liberate others from their bondage. That is why a Vaishnava preaches, and he preaches to enlighten others. And the, and the principal form of preaching is the form of book distribution. Hari-nama is another form of preaching. Actually, a devotee should always be preaching. When visitors come to the temple, devotees who are here, they should give them association and preach to them. Now, book distribution, Prabhupada emphasized as our principal weapon for preaching, because book distribution is Krishna preaching directly. After all, what do these books contain? Shri Bhagavan, the words of the Supreme Lord, and the purports of Prabhupada and the greater chariot. So just imagine how powerful the preaching is when Krishna, Prabhupada, and the great acharyas are preaching. Just like sunshine can destroy darkness, their sharp words can destroy the illusion that human life is meant for, uh, sense enjoyment. That is why Prabhupada pushed book distribution. So wherever you go to an ISKCON temple, whether it's in Moscow, your country, Africa, England, anywhere, India, Our principal service is the service of book distribution. Prabhupada pushed this service more than any other service. Prabhupada said, if you want to please me, then distribute my books. As long as you preach, I will never die. So this activity of book distribution should be our focus. We should keep meditating how we can flood this planet with more and more of these transcendental books. Actually, sometimes devotees think, oh, book distribution, this is not for me, this is only for the full-time sāmkīrtan devotees. I'm a housewife, or I'm a pūjari, or I have a job outside. But that is wrong. We're all preachers, doesn't matter what your temporary designation may be. And we should all understand the importance of this most important activity. Therefore, devotees should meditate, how can we make these unfortunate people fortunate? And when Krishna residing in the heart sees you have that desire He'll give you the ability, he'll give you the energy to stand on the streets or whatever for 7-8 hours a day. There is no material impediment that can stop our preaching activity. Does not matter what happens to the economic situation in your country, does not matter what happens to the politics of the country, does not matter who is the president, does not matter what form of government you have. Nobody can stop preaching because Lord Chaitanya has already predicted that this Krishna consciousness will expand to every town and village of the world. Lord Caitanya is so kind, he made the prediction and he left it up to all of us to take the credit. That is, for generations, those who help establish Krishna consciousness, they'll get the credit that these were the people who are responsible for bringing Krishna consciousness to my life, my village, my community. So remembering the importance of book distribution We should all focus ourselves as representatives of the Lord who are anxious to enlighten everyone. Make people happy, make them fortunate. Right now they're in complete ignorance. So every devotee should, um, get the nectar of saving the conditioned souls. Just like in the material situation, if a lost child is brought back to the father, the father feels indebted. So similarly, in a spiritual position, If the lost children are brought back to the Father with the help of devotees of the Lord, then those devote— the Lord is indebted to such devotees. Therefore, we should all take part in book distribution. Now we're getting ready for Prabhupada marathon. The materialists, they remember December as Christmas. In the, in, in, in the Western countries, at Christmas time, everybody gets bonus money and the children get holidays. And even the employees get holidays. But devotees remember December as a month of the Prabhupada marathon, and we are also getting bonuses in the form of spiritual mercy. So the Prabhupada marathon's coming up, so everyone should gear up to this very important activity in which all the soldiers will be in action. Just like in a war, when a country is at war, everybody has to work. Some are in the front, some are in the back. So similarly, in marathons, everybody has to work. Some are fighting the battle and some soldiers in the back are doing what's necessary for the frontline soldiers to continue the fighting. See, we wanted to request all the devotees, uh, in Moscow, as in most of your cities, you have devotees who live in the temple and devotees who live at home and practice Krishna consciousness. So everyone should please play an effective role in flooding this planet with Prabhupada's books. Some of you may be very empowered preachers who may be able to distribute hundreds of books a day. Some of you may be small preachers not able to distribute too many. Does not matter. It's the drops that make the ocean. So even if you can just do— even if you just distribute one book, it's one drop. So everyone should make an endeavor in this direction. Chaitanya Charitamrita gives a very nice example. It says when there's a flood then these seeds are not allowed to sprout. So it says Lord Caitanya appeared to create a flood of love of God, and when there was that flood of love of God, there was no opportunity for the sinful seed to grow. So help create the spiritual flood and eternally get the mercy of the spiritual master Prabhupada and the disciplic succession, and thereby you'll be happy. So please be convinced about this. The mission of this Krishna conscious movement is to save the conditioned souls. Prabhupada wanted this movement to go down in history as a movement that has changed society from disaster. So we should show to the Russian people that what will save them is not the change of government, but the change of consciousness. And the change of consciousness will come by spreading Krishna consciousness. Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

Actually, today is my last day here. I'm going to be leaving tonight for 2 months for India. So I just wanted to request everyone to please wholeheartedly participate in the Prabhupada marathon. Any questions?

In Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna says to Arjuna, don't consider yourself to be cause of your, of your activities and just, just act. And one, why then one distributes a lot, a lot of books?

Why one distributes a lot of books? Why one distributes less books? Everywhere people ask this question. Now, of course, in every area some people are more active abilities than others. So the success you have is based on your desire, sincerity, and effort. But even if you have— if you— and if you get a smaller result but you have made the effort, Guru Prabhupada and Krishna will recognize you fully.

Okay. It is said that Paramātmā carries out all our desires, and in our present condition we have both spiritual and material desires. And how Paramatma removes our material desires?

Tell this to everyone.

I understand.

Tell the question to everyone.

And ask, how can we get rid of these material desires?

Yes, we have both material and spiritual desires. On the one hand, you want to go back to Godhead. On the one hand, you want to be Krishna conscious. But on the other hand, lust, anger, greed, envy, hatred are troubling you. So your question is, which is Paramātmā going to listen to? Lust, anger, greed, envy, or your desire to go back to Godhead? He's going to listen to both, and he's going to see which of the two is stronger. So when the Paramātmā sees the spiritual desire is stronger than the material desire, then he'll push you on the spiritual side. And through the agency of the devotees of the Paramātmā, you will be advised, you must chant, you must read, you must stay in devotee association, you must serve. And if you take advantage of all this, then your material desires will go on becoming less and less.

Can it be so that a desire to gain knowledge be a material desire? And can this desire, like, be an impediment on our path back to Godhead?

Material desire, knowledge?

No, no, desire to gain knowledge.

Which knowledge, spiritual or material?

Spiritual.

Desire to cultivate spiritual knowledge can never be an impediment. As you read the books, more and more Prasad books, you'll become stronger and stronger.

What does it mean sincerely chant? Sincerely, what does it mean?

He asked. Good question. Sincerely means from the desire, you must have the desire to serve, to chant nicely. Sincerely means you must be genuine in your desire. Not just desire to be devotee, but at the same time internally have desires of sense enjoyment. So best is you chant with concentration, then sincerity will develop even more.

Can a new devotee start at once, start sincerely chant mantra, or it will come later because of practice?

That is up to you. You can go back, you can become sincere in 1 minute, or you may not become sincere in 100 years. There's no one-line straight answer. It all depends upon you. Pāślīni vāprauṣṇa.

Please tell me, tell us what, which offenses can one commit in the process of chanting mantra?

There are 10 offenses. I don't have the time to explain all 10, then the class will get very late and I don't want to hold back the samkītān devotees. You can read any of our books, any of our devotees can tell you after the class.

Okay?

So thank you very much, and I hope that all of you will push Krishna consciousness to the maximum. I make a big Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna.